By Thomas Gerbasi

If Nostradamus was reincarnated and given a New York accent and a vat of hair gel, he might have been Paul Malignaggi. Well, at least for one night this past summer. On that night, August 22, Malignaggi was sent into Texas as the sacrificial lamb for former world lightweight champion Juan Diaz.

It was supposed to be a showcase for Diaz, while Malignaggi, with only an eight round win over 16-6-1 Chris Fernandez to show for himself since his dismal 11 round TKO loss to Ricky Hatton in November of 2008, was getting what was probably going to be his last HBO shot.

Of course, no one told Malignaggi, and with his confidence finally coming back after his stint with Buddy McGirt went sour, Brooklyn’s ‘Magic Man’ got his swagger on in the gym with new trainer Sherif Younan, even though a rib injury kept him from sparring more than 15 total rounds.

But he was ready for the fight, and wasn’t shy when it came to telling anyone about it. Yet at the same time, Malignaggi knew that going into Diaz’ Houston hometown was going to force him to knock the ‘Baby Bull’ out to get a draw, and that was another topic that was ready on his tongue even before the questions would get asked. Call it a pre-emptive strike, a little subliminal gamesmanship to convince the officials to call the fight as they saw it, but whatever it was, it didn’t work.

Nostradamus / Malignaggi had called it.

Now there was no question among fight fans that Diaz-Malignaggi was a close and entertaining bout between two of the sport’s young stars. The problem was that to most objective observers, Malignaggi won, but Diaz got the decision, with Gale Van Hoy’s 118-110 score for Diaz being particularly egregious.

But as soon as the verdict was read and the initial outrage subsided, we all sat back and said ‘well, that’s boxing. Sucks, but it is what it is.’

Malignaggi decided against that course of action, and in the best tradition of Peter Finch’s “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” speech from the film ‘Network’, Malignaggi got on HBO’s airwaves and let the boxing world know that he was on to them, and that he had finally had enough.

“I didn’t really plan it out, it just came out,” said Malignaggi of his post-fight speech. “I’m glad it came out the way it came out, because it came out with just the right amount of ‘oomph’ without going overboard, but without doing too little either. I think it came out well.  I said what I had to say, what I think needed to be said in that moment, and with the right amount of emotion and justification.”

And at least for a few days, a polarizing figure like Malignaggi, who you either love or hate, had everyone in his corner.

“I wasn’t surprised, because I believe that at a certain point, boxing fans want to do the right thing,” he said. “I know that there’s a lot more fan support than normal, and maybe you’re not a great fan of mine, but you believe in what’s right and that what’s right should be done, so I was really appreciative of that support. I’m the guy that they love to hate, but it’s nice to once in a while feel that love from the fans too.”

The 29-year old former junior welterweight champion is a realist though, and as he made it back home to New York after the fight, he knew that by trashing boxing and its powers that be on television, he may have signed his own virtual death warrant when it came to getting a rematch or any high-profile fights. Sure, he was courageous in making a stand, but like baseball’s Curt Flood before him, at what cost?

“I said if I don’t fight again, I could care less,” admits Malignaggi, but at the same time, he knew he’d be back. “There’s something in you that always makes you want to fight and it’s a shame, because boxing becomes almost like a drug. The addict loves to get high, but inside, the addict knows that it’s not good what they’re doing. Boxing almost became my drug. I love the adrenaline rush of fighting and I love competing, but at the end of the day, it’s grimy, and grimy is grimy. It’s so grimy you can write encyclopedias about it, not just books. I still love boxing but I still hate boxing, and I think that’s the taste that’s gonna be left in my mouth even when I’m long gone from the sport.”

Yet as the weeks went on, something strange happened – well, at least strange for boxing. Word started circulating that Malignaggi may in fact get a rematch with Diaz, and he had someone unexpected to thank.

“We met (HBO Sports President) Ross Greenburg after the first fight, and Ross promised us that he would get us the rematch,” said Malignaggi. “I really got the vibe that he was going to do the right thing, and he did, and I’m grateful to him for that because in all honesty, not everybody gets a rematch when it’s a tough, close controversial fight. We’ve had a couple close fights this year – we had (Andre) Berto- (Luis) Collazo, and Luis didn’t get the rematch. We had (Miguel) Cotto-(Joshua) Clottey, and Clottey didn’t get the rematch. So I felt like I had to make a really big stink about it because obviously when you keep quiet, it doesn’t work. What’s the worst that’s gonna happen if you make a big stink? You don’t get it anyway? Okay.”

He did get his rematch though, and on neutral ground no less, as he meets up with Diaz again this Saturday at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. For Diaz, it’s a chance for him to put an end to Malignaggi’s talk and get a victory that he won’t have to defend for weeks on end. For Malignaggi, the benefits are obvious – a win that is actually a win, a chance to get back in the race for a title and more big fights, and the opportunity to erase some of the bad taste he’s had in his mouth from boxing over the last few years.

Yet after fighting a near perfect fight the first time, can he do it again? Malignaggi is quick to counter, saying that the first Diaz bout was far from his best possible performance.

“People think that it was close to a perfect fight the first time around, but in actuality, I’ve got some extra tricks up my sleeve this time around,” he said. “I got as sharp as you saw me the first time with almost no sparring. I feel like this time around, we’ll be a lot sharper. I’ve had sparring, plus I had more time with my new trainer. I feel like every day I’m with Sharif, I’m getting better. He understands what a speed style is, he understands the positives and the negatives of a speed style, and he knows exactly how to work with me. We go together like peanut butter and jelly almost. (Laughs) It’s a perfect mesh. He’s a very creative trainer, and if you’ve got the tools to work with, he can really help you. I feel like he’s really letting my creativity blossom and his own creativity has helped me as well. And for the last fight I was getting back into the swing of things that I had done years ago, but this camp is the first time I’m seeing the actual improvements.”

As for his opponent, Malignaggi is expecting simply more of the same from Diaz.

“What can he do?” he asks. “He’s gonna come with more pressure.  That’s what he came with in the first fight and that’s what he’s gonna come with in the second fight. The funniest thing is that the people who are predicting Diaz to win the rematch think that I fought a perfect fight and that he didn’t fight to the best of his ability. It’s actually the other way around. Diaz is a one dimensional fighter and I’m not a one dimensional fighter. What’s he gonna do? Bring more pressure? That means he’s gonna get hit a lot more.”

On the calendar, three and a half months may not be a long time, but to Paulie Malignaggi, it’s been an eternity.  On Saturday, he gets what few fighters who have lost bad decisions get – a second chance.

“They’re gonna ring the bell on December 12th and I’m gonna be ready to fight,” he said. “If Diaz is ready to fight, good for him. At the end of the day, it’s gonna come down to skill over will at this level. We’ve all got the will to win, but the skills separate the world-class from the lesser world-class, and that’s gonna be the difference of December 12th.”